underachiever

plural underachievers · alternative under-achiever

1. One who underachieves, i.e. performs less well than expected.First known use 1950s

   Bart: (reading his permanent record) "Underachiever and proud of it." How old is this thing?

   2000, “Skinner's Sense of Snow”, in The Simpsons, season 12 (television production)

   3 more examples

   Woody Allen has provided what is probably the best theological answer to the problem of evil: God is not evil; He is just an underachiever.

   1990 September 23, Wendy Doniger, “Why the Body Is Disgusting”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2022

   For the TLC undertaking, he employs only underachievers, cronies who have been hired for their ability to make the work site madcap and, therefore, filmable.

   2005 November 3, Ned Martel, “The Unlikely Progress of a Barely Motivated Underachiever”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 29 May 2015

   This unsung, underrated, under-appreciated / The one them underachievers had underestimated / Finally graduated, I'm one of the most hated

   2010, “Doin' It Again”, in How I Got Over, performed by The Roots

   Antonyms: overachiever